The term virtualization leads to a wealth of definitions. A generic, rather popular scientific description is "In computing, virtualization is a broad term that refers to the abstraction of computer resources."

IBM® invented the virtualization technology starting in the 1960s on the mainframe, and the functionalities evolved and were ported to other platforms and improved the reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features. With virtualization, you achieve better asset utilization, reduced operating costs, and faster responsiveness to changing business demands.

Every technology vendor in the SAP ecosystem understands virtualization as slightly different capabilities on different levels (storage and server hardware, processor, memory, I/O resources or the application, and so on). It is important to understand exactly what functionality is offered and how it supports the client’s business requirements.

SAP covers the subject in their SAP Community Network (SDN) web page at:

In this IBM Redbooks® publication we focus on server virtualization technologies in the IBM Power Systems™ hardware, AIX®, IBM i, and Linux space and what they mean specifically for SAP applications running on this platform.

We do not repeat information that is already available from other sources unless it is directly related to the IT infrastructure for the SAP solution; therefore, we included a lot of links and references for further information about virtualization in general.

SAP clients can leverage the technology that the IBM Power Systems platform offers. In this book, we describe the technologies and functions, what they mean, and how they apply to the SAP system landscape.

SAP currently has no limitations, in general, supporting their products that are running on PowerVM™ technology. If there are specific limitations, we mention them in the individual chapters and compile them in the list of links in “Related publications” on page 165.

This publication contains the following content with regard to virtualization and SAP applications on IBM PowerVM:

The first edition of this book was produced by two teams of specialists from around the world working in Walldorf Germany and at the International Technical Support Organization, Austin Texas Center in 2008.

The authors of the first edition are:

Christian Bartels has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University Braunschweig, Germany. He joined IBM in 1990 and has been working in OS/400® Software Support in Mainz, Germany. In 1997 he moved to the SAP Regional Support center in Walldorf, Germany in order to support clients running SAP R/3 on OS/400 and to educate the SAP support team. Between 1999 and 2001, Christian worked at IBM in Rochester, MN in the ISV enablement team with a special focus on the database interface for SAP on OS/400 and performance analysis. Since 2001, he is working on the SAP on IBM i porting team. His current emphasis is on performance monitoring.

Elmar Billen is a Senior SAP Basis Consultant certified by SAP and Oracle. He has worked with SAP software since 1995 and has strong experience in using SAP on Linux and UNIX. He implemented several large SAP solutions and gained experience with system management, high availability, backup and recovery, migrations, and release upgrades. Since 2004 he has worked on the IBM Power® Linux team at SAP and participated in porting the SAP solutions to Linux. He has a degree in Physics from the University of Münster.

Irene Hopf is a Senior Architect in the IBM SAP International Competence Center (ISICC) in Walldorf, Germany. She is responsible for integrated IBM hardware and software solutions for SAP clients with the focus on flexible operations and optimal performance in a dynamic, cloud-ready infrastructure. Irene has more than 15 years of SAP experience and is a certified SAP Technology Consultant. She holds degrees in Material Science Engineering and Information Technology.

James Nugen has been a member of the AIX porting team at SAP since 1995. He is an IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert for pSeries® and AIX 5L™. Jim has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and an MS from the University of Reading.

Walter Orb is a technical consultant working at the IBM SAP International Competence Center in Walldorf, Germany. He has more than fifteen years experience with SAP on AIX and Power Systems, with a major focus on system performance, benchmarks, and large-scale system tests. Walter holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Mainz, Germany.

Olaf Rutz studied at the Technical University in Darmstadt and has a Master’s degree in Computer Science. He joined IBM in 1995 and since then worked in several SAP-related projects at SAP. During this time, he gained several years of experience in porting SAP applications to IBM mainframe and Power Systems with AIX and IBM i. In his current role, he is the Team Lead for the SAP on AIX team in St. Leon-Rot.

Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project:

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